Happy Groundhog Day

Looks like an early spring this year. That’s what the Groundhog predicts, because he didn’t see his shadow, which means he didn’t feel the need to hide in his burrow for a long winter.

By EIC via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons

I never understood that.  Wouldn’t he be warmer if the sun was out?  Check out the history of Groundhog Day.  It’s quite interesting.

Instead, the little predictor of weather says, “Hey, look!  It’s sunny.  I’m going back to bed.”

It seems counterintuitive to me.  If it’s a sunny day, I’d like to be out working in the garden.  If it’s a cloudy, yucky day, I’d rather crawl back into bed.

It’s a good thing, Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t live near me, because it’s a gorgeous sunny day.  I’m going to go work in my garden and get ready for early spring.

What do you think about Groundhog Day?  Is it just a fun tradition or a true predictor of the seasons?  Do you know of other odd holidays that should get more or less attention?

A Holiday Patronus in the Yard

The three decrepit lighted deer stand on the front lawn.  They are so old that I had to restring them with LED lights last year.  The buck’s antlers are an eerie blue. My daughter has named it the Patronus because of the way it shimmers, especially from a distance.

If you aren’t familiar with spells in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, a Patronus is a spell used to chase away the Dementors (evil, fear-inducing creatures) who try to suck the happiness from the characters in the books.  The spell usually takes the shape of a luminous animal. Harry’s father’s Patronus was a stag, and his mother’s was a deer.

It’s a fun, innocent way of looking at these joint-rusted deer that banish the darkness from our front yard every night. We see them as tiny symbols of how light instantly replaces shadows and how good is more powerful than evil.

We really need to replace those deer.  Their motors don’t work, so there is no head movement.  Patronus and his two doe aren’t going anywhere.

*whispers behind hand* At least not this year.

I wish everyone a very happy, peaceful, and light-filled holiday season.

When Distant Relatives Visit

It’s the holiday season, and people visit family and friends.  How do you prepare for those…uh, distant relatives who come to visit?  You know the ones I’m talking about.  They are difficult to accommodate and have strange eating habits.  Don’t even think about the Neanderthal-like hygiene practices. *shiver*

Where are these nine-feet (or taller, even) cousins going to sleep?

I think I’ll rig up an extra large hammock between the trees in the backyard.  No, that won’t work because the winter seedlings are slowly working their way up.  I wouldn’t want our guest to step in the garden.  Maybe, we’ll have to borrow a huge tent.

If the thought of preparing meals for the crowd everyday starts to overwhelm, we can think about the edibles we have growing outside.  I don’t mean the seedlings and baby broccoli which barely survived housing the offspring of negligent, flighty parents.  (They could’ve at least waited for the caterpillars to hatch before they flew away somewhere to whatever it is butterflies do after they lay eggs on baby broccoli.)

No, these guests require a special diet.  They don’t like any processed foods–everything must be natural.  It’s a good thing that our yard has a variety of dandelions and clover.  The neighborhood has lots of wild rabbits, too–our newest family members will feel right at home.

(Note to self: Warn the neighbors to bring in their cats.)

Put out the best towels.  On second thought, hide the best towels and put out all the old ones, even the ones that we use to dry off the dogs.

(Note to self: Board the dogs at a kennel for the weekend.)

So who are Cousins George, Bob, and Fred that I fear for my furry kids’ lives?

Bigfoot.

If they are anything like Harry from Harry and the Hendersons, then I’d worry more about my house.

What a great holiday card!

These are the mythological creatures of forest wildernesses.  They are our close relatives.

Their DNA proves it. Yep.  Some scientists in Texas have sequenced the DNA of bigfoot. Their findings are controversial though.  (Ya think?)   They claim human females cross-bred with unknown primates.  Some 15,000 years later, those descendants should have human rights.

Hmmm…  Well, it seems we will have to wait for more conclusive evidence and test results before we need to give Fred, Bob, and George voting rights or a place at the holiday dinner table.

Their cousins from Everest are getting a lot of attention, too.  It seems the Sasquatch is mighty elusive.

For other interesting ideas, go check out what Debra Kristi says about Bigfoot at her blog.  There are other interesting links to read, too.

I’d love to see mermaids in real life, too–maybe from a distance.  Oh, wait!  Mermaids are half human.  Does that mean….

Nevermind.

What do you think about Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti stories? Are they close relatives, stuff made of myth, or seriously clever creatures?